“I haven’t had anything this pure since the Vienna Boys’ Choir hit town.”
Countess- Once Bitten
Tom Holland’s Fright Night is one of my favorite horror films. It was one of the first horror films of the 80’s step outside the slasher subgenre and make money. Not only was it a box office hit, but critics loved it too. That means that there had to be a sequel, but just how good is part 2?
Fright Night Part 2 starts with a montage of the happenings of the first film. We are then brought to the present where Charley Brewster, played by William Ragsdale, is having therapy. After three years, his therapist has convinced him he didn’t fight vampires but instead stopped a serial killer. Charley decides to stop avoiding his old pal Peter Vincent played by Roddy McDowall. There he sees an enchanting woman he believes is another vampire.
While the script isn’t nearly as tight as the first film, it does things differently. Charley is put under a spell and has to contend with being enticed by the dark side. This feels a little too similar to Once Bitten. But as unoriginal as the plot is, the film still has momentum
The fantastic cast carries that momentum. Ragsdale and McDowall are gold. Their chemistry is off the charts, and it’s nice seeing them work through their issues. McDowall was born for this role. He plays a dollar store Vincent Price better than anyone else. The rest of the cast is just as stellar. Traci Lind, as Brewster’s new girlfriend, proves to have some great acting ability. The biggest let down is Julie Carmen’s turn as Regine. While her performance is seductive, it never feels scary or smart. She’s deadset on revenge, and even that feels forced.
The comedy in Fright Night Part 2 is severely lacking. While there are a few light-hearted moments, the laughs aren’t as interesting as they were the first time around. Most of the fun hijinks involve the side characters, and I wish Ragsdale and McDowall were on screen together more. When the film finally comes together in the end, it’s almost too late.
Even though Fright Night Part 2 isn’t nearly as great as the original, it is still a scary fun time. The direction is decent, and the effects are okay, but the script feels like a tired ripoff of other vampire films. The cast is excellent, and Roddy McDowall is terrific as always. Fright Night Part 2 lacks the originality and gusto of the first film, but it’s still fun to see Charley and Peter bumble their way through the undead.
